Parker Upton’s at bat late in the game helped the Bluejays to victory. (Spomer / WBR)
Luke Franzoni had bludgeoned Creighton with his bat all weekend, but in a twist of fate his glove helped them on the final play of the second leg of Saturday’s doubleheader at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Playing in on the edge of the grass with the runners on second and third with one out, Xavier’s super slugging first baseman watched as Parker Upton’s bouncing ball down the line got past his glove and allowed pinch-runner Cam Frederick to score easily from third base to give the Bluejays a 3-2 win, salvaging a split of the two Saturday games and setting up a championship Saturday in the Big East.
The UConn Huskies, who have outscored Seton Hall 38-9 in the first three games of their weekend series in Storrs, have a percentage points edge on the Jays heading into the final day of the regular season. A cancellation or another win over the Pirates gives them the regular season crown and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio. A loss by the Huskies coupled with another win over Xavier gives the title and the top seed to Creighton.
“We were very flat in the first game today, and really flat for the better part of the second game as well,” CU skipper Ed Servais said. “Our pitchers gave us a chance. They kept us in the game and we caught a little fire at the end, and we played with that emotion that we have for the better part of the year.
“It sets up for a very interesting Saturday. It’s what we all wanted — the opportunity to play at home for the chance to win a championship in the regular season.”
After scoring five runs in the top of the ninth on Thursday night to pull out a 10-5 win, the Musketeers touched up Creighton senior right-hander Jonah Smith for five earned runs on seven hits in the third and fourth innings of the first game on Friday afternoon en route to a 6-2 win. That, along with UConn’s 15-1 and 12-4 wins over Seton Hall earlier in the day put Jays’ backs against the wall. Another loss to Xavier would clinch the regular season title for the Huskies and make Saturday’s contest matter only for seeding.
Will Hanafan didn’t squander an opportunity for Creighton (Spomer / WBR)
Game two didn’t start off promising for the Bluejays either when Musketeer sophomore second baseman Jared Cushing drove in Franzoni with two outs in the top of the first to record his fifth hit of the series and give his team another early lead.
Creighton knotted it up in the bottom of the fourth inning when Alan Roden, Ryan Mantle, and Sterling Hayes all reached base with one out. Junior center fielder Will Hanafan, who sat the first two games of the series, made sure the Jays didn’t squander another scoring opportunity as he worked the count full against Xavier right-hander Ethan Bosacker then watched ball four go by for the bases-loaded walk to tie the game at one run apiece.
The Bluejays rode the left arm of reliever Paul Bergstrom from the point on. The sophomore from Mount Prospect, Ill. tossed a career-best six innings — tying a single-game stadium record for a Creighton reliever — striking a career-high five batters in the process to put Xavier’s red-hot offense to sleep while the Jays continued to search for the momentum-changing hit.
“He’s been really outstanding, and he’s an outstanding person so I’m really happy for him … he deserves a ton of credit for giving this team a chance,” Servais said. “We just couldn’t muster up much offense in either game today, but if your pitchers give you a chance you don’t need much offense. Paul Bergstrom was a big part of our win today.”
Bergstrom’s only blemish came via the courtesy runner that Xavier was allowed to start at second base in the top of the 10th inning, a new rule this season for extra inning affairs at the college and professional levels. Pinch-hitter Jeff Holtz laid down a sac bunt to move the runner, Garrett Schultz, to third with one out. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Windham replaced Bergstrom on the mound, but with Creighton’s infield drawn in, Jared Cushing came through again for the Musketeers with a ground ball up the middle just out of the reach of sophomore second baseman Andrew Meggs that scored the go-ahead run.
Paul Bergstrom saved the Jays on the mound (Spomer / WBR)
After a flyout by pinch-hitter Andrew Walker, another infield single put runners on first and second with two outs, but this time Meggs wouldn’t let the ball get away as he handled a hot shot off the bat of Xavier’s usual everyday clean-up hitter Natale Monastra that took a tricky hop at the last second. Meggs secured it and tossed it to Sterling Hayes at first base to save a run and send the Bluejays to bottom of the 10th inning chasing only one run.
Nolan Clifford started the frame at second base, then moved to third on a perfectly placed bunt single down the third base line by pinch-hitter Evan Spry. Meggs drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs, Clifford scored the tying run on a wild pitch, and then pinch-runner Cam Frederick trotted home to ignite the celebration on Upton’s grounder to Franzoni.
The dramatic, come-from-behind win puts Creighton in position to win its fourth Big East regular season title in seven full seasons as a member of the conference. They’ll have a chance to do it on the last day for the second season in a row. On the mound for the Bluejays will be freshman right-hander Hudson Leach. Xavier is expected to counter with senior left-hander Trevor Olson. First pitch is scheduled for noon local time and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.